Apparatus for manufacturing pulp artcles



United Stte APPARATUS FR MANUFACTURING PULP ARTICLES Merle P. Chaplin, South Portland, Maine, assignor to Chaplin Corporation, Portland, Marine, a corporation of Maine Original application April 30, 1942, Serial N0. 441,100, now Patent N0. 2,494,743, dated January 17, 1950. Divided and this application September 27, 1949, Serial N0. 118,169

6 Claims. (Cl. 9257) This invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing pulp articles.

In the making of certain moulded pulp articles it is desirable to not only mould them from the wood or other pulp mixtures, but also to finish one or both sides of the article with either a smooth finish, or one of some special pattern. The finishing of articles of this kind makes it also desirable to dry them by removing by heat the water or other liquid left in the article after it has been moulded from the liquid pulp mixtnre. It is further desirable in many instances to add a surface coating or color to the dry and finished article, 01 to print some special pattern or design on it.

In order to accomplish these several objects and oper ations it is desirable that they be done automatically by passing the article through the several operations on a single machine, as shown in the drawings which form a part of this specification.

A particular exarnple of a moulded pulp article which requires the several operations and treatrnent outlined above are moulded pulp bottle caps or hoods. These articles should be smooth and attractive on the outside or top, and the top may also be printed in one 01 more colors.

This application is a division of application Seria] Number 441100, filed by me on April 30, 1942, upon which Patent 2494743 was issued on January 17, 1950.

Referring to the draWings- Fig. 1 is a diagramrnatio elevation of a machine which is made according to and embodying rny invention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view, also diagrarnrnatic, of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

In the machine shown in the drawings the articles are moulded or formed 011 a plurality of dies on a cylindrical drum 1, to which a vacuum may be applied as described in n1y Patent N0. 1845830 issued February 16, 1932. A transfer die 2 takes the articles from the forming dies and transfers it to the drying dies 3. These drying dies 3 them cornpress the article between or against the finishing dies 4, which serve to smooth the surface of the article, or to impart to it some design. Heat is applied to the drying dies 3, which are perforated, and the water of evaporation is drawn through the dies and away from the article.

The dies 3 and 4 cornpress the article between them for a sufiicient length of tirne to cornpletely dry the water from the article, and if necessary or desirable, the finishing die 4 may also be heated. After the artioles have been dried, they are rernoved from the drying dies by a transfer die sirnilar in operation to that used to transfer the article from the forming die to the drying die.

The articles are them hold on the printing holding dies 5, which rnove under printing or coating dies 6. As many printing or coating positions as are necessary can be provided. After being printed or coated 01 both, the artiles are removed from the printing holding dies 5 21,813,463 Patented Nov. 19, 1957 by a transfer die similar in operation to that used either to transfer the article from 1 to 3 or from 3 to 5.

It will be observed that the motions of the several dies are step by step, each set of dies being at rest when an article is being transferrecl to it or from it. lt will also be observed that the transfer dies have two motions, one a reciprocating motion between the two dies and the Other an up-and-down moti0n something gre:ater than the depth of the article so that the article is drawn directly away from the die during the transfer operation.

The smoothing or finishing dies revolve about a vertical shaft and are fixed thereto. The drying dies have a vertical reciprocating movernent to provide for delivering the articles to the smoothing dies, and an npward movernent to compress the articles between the drying and smoothing dies.

If desirable, more than one deposit of pulp or other material can be made on the forming dies 1. This can be done either by providing two 0r more pulp tanks 7 or by adding a coating on the article while it is on the forming die, and during its travel from the pulp tank 7 to the position of transfer. The article on the transfer die can also be smoothed 011 its exposed surface at, say, the horizontal position of the die, er halfway between its travel from forrning to transfer.

Suitable mechanisrn is provided for driving the various parts of the machine in desired synchronism. These mechanisrns are not shown, as they are weil known in the art. For example, the rnovement of the drying dies 3 into and out of compressing relation With respect to the smoothing or finishing dies 4, as they collectively rotate about the vertical shaft which supports the latter dies, may be accornplished or controlled by the fixed cam track shown in section below the operating stems of said dies in Fig. 1 of the drawing. United States Patent N0. 1377,342, issued May 10, 1921, to H. P. Harbrecht, discloses similar mechanism. That patent shows, in Fig. 2, a fixed cam 16 having therein a groove or cam track 16a in which ride the cam followers 40 connected to the stems of the several molds 44 and bodily rotation of these molds about the central shaft 13 causes the molds to be vertically raised and lowered in succession.

Step-by-step rotation of the smoothing and drying dies about their central shaft may be accomplished by rotating this shaft by Geneva gearing, as shown in United States Patent N0. 827,765, issued August 7, 1906, to G. R. Ward, which illustrates a wellknown construction for this purpose. In that patent the star wheel 7 afiixed to the central shaft is periodically rotated by a roher 5 on the constantly rotating wheel 6 for the same purpose.

The transfer dies may be periodical ly vertically and laterally shifted, as herein described, by such transfer mechanism as that exemplified by United States Patent N0. 1248381 issued November 27, 1917, to F. E. Neubert. In this patent precipitated layers of pulp, formed on the molds 2, are couched in the die casings, and are them rnoved laterally With the carrier 16 of that patent to transfer the formed pulp articles to another part of the machine and them lower them. This patent thus discioses suitable mechanism old in the art f0r raising and lowering the formed articles vertica'lly and transferring them laterally.

Many other novel and useful operations may be performed, and the artic1e may receive other treatments while passing through the machine as it may be automatically transferred as many tirnes as may be necessary by the same device already described. Other novel features may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention and I intend no limitations other than those set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pulp-molding machine comprising a pulp tank, a horizontal shaft above the tank, a rotatable carrier mounted on the shaft, a forming die 011 the carrier and moved by said. carri'er in a vertical path through the tank to a horizontal position above the tank, a vertical shaft laterally spaced from the carrier, a horizontal drying die supported on the vertical shaft for movement around the axis of said vertical shaft in a circular path laterally spaced frorn the path of movement of the forming die, a permanently horizontal transfer die movable vertically toward and away from the forming die and the drying die and laterally across the space between the paths of movement of the forming die and the drying die.

2. A pulp-molding machine comprising a pulp tank, a horizontal shaft above the tank, a rotatable carrier mounted on said shaft, a forrning die on the carrier and movecl by said carrier in a vertical path through the tank to a horizontal position above the tank, a vertical shaft laterally spaced from the carrier, a pair of horizontal drying dies supported in permanent vertical alinement on the vertical shaft for movernent around the axis of said vertical shaft in circular paths laterally spaced from the path of movement of the forming die, a permanently horizontal transfer die movable vertically toward and away from the forming die and the drying dies and laterally across the space between the path of rnovernent of the forrning die and the paths of movernent of the drying dies from a position in vertical alinement With the forrning die to a position between and in vertical alinement with the drying dies.

3. A pulp-molding machine comprising a pulp tank, a horizontal shaft above the tank, a rotatable carrier mounted on said shaft, a forming die on the carrier and moved by said carrier in a vertical path through the tank to a horizontal position above the tank, a vertical shaft laterally spaced from the carrier, a pair of horizontal drying dies supported in permanent vertical alinement on the vertical shaft for movement around the axis of said vertical shaft in circular paths laterally spaced from the path of movement of the forming die, mechanism for moving one of said drying dies vertically toward and away from the other as said drying dies move along their circular paths, a permanently horizontal transfer die movable vertically toward and away frorn the forming die and between the drying dies and laterally across the space between the path of movernent of the forming die and the paths of movement of the drying dies from a position in vertical alinement with the forming die to a position between and in vertical alinement With said drying dies.

4. A pulp-molding machine cornprising a pulp tank, a horizontal shaft above the tank, a rotatable carrier mounted on the shaft, a plurality of angularly spaced forming dies 011 the carrier moved successively by the carrier in a vertical path through the tank to a horizontal position above the tank, a vertical shaft laterally spaced from the carrier, a plurality of pairs of horizontal drying dies sup ported on the vertical shaft for movement around the axis of said vertical shaft in circular paths laterally spaced from the path of movement of the forming dies, the drying dies of each pair being in permanent vertical ahnement, mechanism for moving one of the drying dies of eacn pair vertically toward and away from the other drying die of said pair as said drying dies move along their cireular paths, a permanently horizontal transfer die movable vertically toward and away from the forming dies and between the drying dies and laterally across the space between the paths of movement of the fortning dies and the rirying from a position in vertical alinement with one of the forming dies to a position between and in vertical alinement With a pair of drying dies.

5. A pulp molding machine comprising: a pulp tank, a forming unit embodying a forming die and mounted on horizontal bearings whereby the forming die is movable in a vertical parh through the tank to a horizontal position above the tank, a drying unit spaced laterally from the forming 'llnit and having bearings to mount it for rotation and including a drying die mounted oif center of said unit whereby said drying die is movable With said unit in a circular horizontal path about the axis of said unit, a transfer unit including a permanently horizontal transfer die, and means to move said transfer die from a position of coaxial alinement with a forming die to a position of coaxial alinement with a drying die and vice versa across the lateral space betvveen said latter dies and to move said transfer die vertically into and out of cooperation with the forming and drying dies When respectively in alined relation With each of them.

6. A pulp molding machine comprising: a pulp tank, a horizontal shaft, a rotatable die carrier 011 said shaft, a forming die supported on the carrier and rotatable therewith from a lower position in the pulp tank to an inverted position above the tank, a receiving die spaced laterally from said carrier and mounted for movement about an axis, a transfer die, and .rneans to move the transfer die with the article thereon from a position of engagement With the inverted article 011 the forrning die laterally across the space between the forming die and the receiving die, while maintaining the article in such inverted position.

Referenc-es Cit=erl in the file of this patent UN1TED STATES PATENTS Re. 19,856 Chapman Feb. 18, 1936 1248381 Neubert Nov. 27, 1917 1621147 Winnert Mar. 15, 1929 1788,944 Chaplin Jan. 13, 1931 1,845830 Chaplin Feb. 16, 1932 2163585 Chaplin Inne 27, 1939 2183869 Randall et al Dec. 19, 1939 2,203343 Stack Inne 4, 1940 2234979 Randall et a1 Mar. 18, 1941 2257573 Randall Sept. 30, 1941 2388828 Chaplin Nov. 13 1945 2,494743 Chaplin Jan. 17, 1950 

